Tamping tool



W. C. WOLFE TAMPING TOOL INVENTOR.

mum C W04 FE.

ATTORNEYS.

- means of the usual tools.

y a. relatively simple and Reissued Oct. 18, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. WOLFE, or RI HMOND, INDIANA.

' Tamarind roonf ori inal no. 1,565,697, dated December 1 5, 1925,'Serial'110, 17,006, filed March 20, 1925.

V l reissue filed August 1, 1927. Serial No. 209,957.

It has been customary heretofore manually tamp stone, sand or gravel ballast under railway ties, where the ties have been slightly elevated to the proper level by Accordingly, there is often a space left substantially under the center of the tie vwhich cannot well be reached, and a great deal of time and labor is consumed. f 1f It is the object of this invention to provide ractical means for forcing the material un er the tiein compact formation so as to completely .fillthe voids by air pressure applied directlyto the tamping material, and to this endl'this invention contemplates a suitable tool which may be conveniently handled for thepurpose, and which maybe readily positioned with respect to the tie and material for ermitting the air pressure to actthereon.

t has beendemonstrated that bymeans of air pressure the stone, rock or. sand or other tamping material willbe carried compacted. under the tiemuch more rapidly and Y eflicien t ly than heretofore with very little labor. I p 7 Another object is to provide an improved implement combining the advantagesof a n digging or tamping toolwith the advantages ,incident' to the use of compressed air.

@A nother object is to provide a method'of tamping ballast under railway ties or other supports, whereby material adjacent the,'tie

the ti e as well as under the ends,and wherehis is generally many from the front face.

The full nature'of the invention will be unders'toodfrom the accompanying draw- Ings Land the following description and claims,

In the-drawings,-Figure1 is a side elevat on of the tamping to'ol showing it positioned withrespect to the tie. Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof.

through a railway tie 10 with ballast 11 being packed thereunder, which comprises stone, gravel, sand, 'cinde'rs or the like.

The tool consists of a spade-like member 12 to which is rigidly secured a handle 13. Said spade member is flared at the bottom and tapers toward the top in front elevation, as shown in Figure 2, while being reduced toa relatively sharpledge and increafsing'in thickness toward the top in side elevation, as shown in Figure 1. Said member is'hollow' and is provided with a hori- --zonta1 elongateds1ot 14 extending through- ;out the entire width thereof adjacent the lower edge, said slot communicating through the hollow portion of the spade member with atubularextension or fitting 15 positioned adjacent the top thereof and extending'for- I A flexible hose or the like 16 is'connected with the fitting 15 leading from a suitable source of air pressure: I

For this purpose an air compressor or fblower of any suitabletype may'belportably mounted Tor supportedupon a hand caror thedike s'o'as to produce a given air pressure whichwill be forced through the tube 16 andlthe' hollow portion of the spade member so as tobe forcibly, blown throughthe. slot '14; The air pressure cannot; be definitely defined as it will vary with different c onditio1 1s,'but in no case should it"be sufiicient to blow material out from 'under the tie.

Rigidly mounted on each side of the'spade ing position the usualmanner, and an an t f Re, 16,775-

Application for In the drawings there is shown a section {member there are foot rest projections 17 jwhichfare utilized by the operator for fore ingthespade-like member into proper tamp- Iforsupport may be utilized and whereby the [ballast may be tamped under the center of valve 18 is conveniently positioned on the front face thereof Said valve may be opened or closed by the operator by graspin'g'ahan'dle 19and pulling it up into closed position to put the [device in operation. Upon forjcing'the handle 19 downwardly, the

valve may be opened and} the compressed air or air in motion may, therefore, escape through the valve opening rather than the slot 14 when it is desired that the operation be discontinued. A suitable means is pro- Vided for maintaining the valve in open or closed position, which, as herein shown, comprises the notched block 20 secured to the face of the spademember immediately below the valve. upon which a spring 21 is adapted to ride and engage in the notches to maintain the valve in a given position.

In operation the operator forces the spade into proper t-ainping position principally by means of his foot and weight bearing upon one ofthe projections 17, thereby forcing the relativelysharp spade edge into the material- The travel of the compressed air,.when

it is turned on, is caused to. pass through the slot 14 in a horizontal direction, as shown in Figure 1. The force of the air engaging the loosematerial forces it under the tie and firmly packs it, causing the finer particles to fill all the voids between the larger particles.

Itshould be noted that the air is at relatively low pressure and is not used as an injector, which is objectionable as it tends to blow the fine material out of place andto negative the desired. results. The air in this .process merely causes the fine material 1mmediatelyiin'front of the tool to be thoroughly packed under the tie or support, and

the voidleft by this material is filled in andtam ped by the vertical manipulationof the tool.

Spade ember may be readily p d to continually position the same for forcing fresh material thereunder or unnder-various parts of thetie. It will be observed, .therefore,tha t with very little labor,

eflicient tamping may be rapidly accom- Y plished.

, .Wh'le the device has been described as pertainingparticularly to the tamping of .railroad ties, other cross ties and support- .ning members may be likewise tamped thereby as well as all under fillings .of a similar I nature. While thetool has been herein deas, employing air for this purpose, it maybe .possibleto employ other means such I as fluids,.liquids or gases in the same manner, without departing from this invention.

1 The 'i nvention'claimed is b 1. A'tool, of the charactendescribed, i neluding a spade-like member having a pas- .sage therethrough, a flexible hosecommuni- "eating wit-h saidpassage for conducting fluid under pressure t ereiI and a flared bottom to said member havingan elongated slot ad- .jacentthe reto in communication with'said passageway/for directingthefluid laterally or engaging said material.

" 1 2.--A' tool of the character described,.in-

cludin aspadeslike member having a passage t erethrough, a flexibletube secured to engaged and cating with said passage for'condu cting fluid under pressure therein, a flared bottom to p said member having an elongated slot adjacent thereto in communication with said pas} sageway for directing thefluidlaterally for engaging said material, and laterally extending ,foot rests provided on each slde of said member for permitting the same to be thereon.

' t. A tool of the icharacter described, in-

eluding a spade-like member having an air positioned by foot pressure passage therethrough, a, flexible tube secured, to saidfmember and communicating with said'pa'ssa'ge for conducting'fluid under pressurethereto, a handle extendingup wardly from s'aidspadeflike member, a relatively wide and sharpedge formed at the lower end thereof; said edge being 'priovided .with a ,slot adj acent; thereto, and communieating with said passageway, Jsaid slot .opening laterally. from the front face of said.

member forv directing the' 'fiuid against the material, and "laterally extending foot rests provided on each sidel offsaid member'for permitting the same to be engaged and positioned by;foot pressure thereon.

5. A tool of the character municat-ing with =sai'dipasisage for conducting fluid, under ipressuref therein, a -flared bottom to said member having an elongated ,slot adjacent thereto ineommunication with said passageway for directing-the fluid laterally, and manually controlled meansfor through. w i

. 6. A'tool of the cluding a spade-like member having a passage therethrough, a flexiblev tube secured controlling thehpassage of the fluid thereto said member and commuica'ting with said passage for conducting flu d under pressure thereto, a a handle extending upwardly" from said fspa deelike member, a relatively 'wide and sharp ed e formed at the lower elild thereof, saide gebeing provided with a' slot adjacent thereto and communicating with said passa eway, said slot openi'n'glaterall from the ront face. of saidimember for d1- recting the fluid" against the 'mate'rial',and a valve mounted on said tool in" positionto character described, :in-

V described, ineluding a spade-like member having an fair passage therethrough, a fiexible'hose comcontrol an opening communicating with said passage for varying the fluid passage therethrough.

7. A compound implement comprising a spade-like tool provided with an air passage, an air outlet adjacent the bottom of said tool, means for admitting fluid under pressure to said tool, and meansfor manipulating said tool.

8. A compound implement comprising a spade-like tool, a handle for said tool, a foot rest adjacent said spade-like portion, means including a chamber in the tool and'an out let near the bottom of said tool for supplying compressed air at a point adjacent the bottom of said tool.

9. The method of tamping ballast under supports such as railroad ties, which comprises forcing adjacent material under said.

supports by fluid pressure, filling the void left by said material with new material, and repeating the cycle till the space under said supports is filled by said material.

10. The method of tamping ballast under a support Which comprises forcing the lower end of a tool in the material adjacent to said support, applying fluid pressure through said tool to force the material in front of said tool under said support, filling the void left bysaid material with new material, and tamping said new material thoroughly in place by means of said tool.

11. The process of ballasting railroad ties which consists in forcing material lying adjacent the sides of the ties to positions beneath the ties by the action of compressed air applied to such material laterally of the space to'be filled.

12. The method of tamping ballast under va railroad tie which comprises inserting a tool adjacent the under side of said tie, de-,

livering compressed air from said tool toward the space under the tie whereby adjacent material is blown under the tie, manipulating said tool to blow other material under said tie, and performing the above steps at various points along the perimeter of the tie.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, this day of July, 1927.

WILLIAM C. WOLFE. 

